The Latest: Police, Protesters Didn't Wear Reflective Gear
FLINT (AP) — The Latest on protests by fast-food workers demanding a $15 per hour minimum wage (all times local):
5:25 p.m.
Authorities say members of a group protesting in Flint for a higher minimum wage and the right to form unions were not wearing reflective gear when struck by a pickup truck just before dawn on Tuesday.
The Flint Journal reports Police Chief Tim Johnson said it was dark and wet when the crash occurred about 7 a.m. near a fast-food restaurant. Johnson also said the protesters did not have flashlights.
Eight people were taken to the hospital. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
Johnson said earlier that he didn't believe the crash was intentional. It remains under investigation.
The protest was organized by Fight for $15, a national movement seeking to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for fast-food, child care, airlines and other workers.
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2:45 p.m.
A U.S. House candidate is among 18 people arrested for disorderly conduct during a protest in Detroit for a higher minimum wage and the right to form unions.
Democrat Rashida Tlaib was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon for blocking a traffic lane. She faces candidates from the Green and Working Class parties for the 13th District House seat.
The protest was organized by Fight for $15, a national movement seeking to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for fast food, child care, airlines and other workers. The group also wants the right to start unions or join existing ones. Several hundred people marched before protesting in front of a Midtown McDonalds.
Deputy Police Chief Elvin Barren said those arrested would be ticketed and released later Tuesday.
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11:30 a.m.
A union official says some of the people struck by a pickup truck during a protest to demand a $15 per hour minimum wage in Michigan are being released from a hospital.
Police say eight people were hospitalized Tuesday morning after the pickup collided with the protesters in Flint.
Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry told The Associated Press that three of those injured remain under observation in the hospital. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Police don't believe the driver intended to hit the protesters.
Fast-food workers in Detroit are planning to walk off the job and join a demonstration Tuesday afternoon. Walkouts also are expected Wednesday in Milwaukee and Thursday in Chicago.
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8:20 a.m.
Police say a pickup truck collided with a group of protesters calling for the right to form unions in Flint, Michigan, injuring several people.
Police Chief Tim Johnson says he doesn't believe the crash Tuesday morning near a near a fast-food restaurant was intentional and that the driver "seemed pretty shaken up." Johnson initially said four or five people had non-life-threatening injuries, but later said eight were hospitalized. The pickup was later hit by a utility truck.
Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer was among those participating in the protest. She wasn't injured and a post on her Twitter account says she's "incredibly sad that so many people were hurt."
The Flint Journal reports that Johnson says those who were struck were at the end of a group of protesters walking along a street. He says the driver "acted like he didn't see them."
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1:10 a.m.
Michigan candidates for governor and the U.S. House are expected to join fast-food workers and others walking off the job in protest over the right to form unions.
The protests are part of an effort to elect pro-union candidates in the November general election. Walkouts also are expected Wednesday in Milwaukee and Thursday in Chicago.
Workers are seeking union rights for fast-food restaurants, airports, downtown businesses, hospitals, in-home care and child care.
Democrat Gretchen Whitmer will join striking cooks and cashiers Tuesday morning in Flint. Whitmer and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, are battling for governor.
Democrat Rashida Tlaib will join fast-food workers Tuesday afternoon in Detroit. Tlaib faces candidates from the Green and Working Class parties for the 13th House seat.
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